Ask a Stoner: Should COVID-19 Stop People From Smoking Together?

Westword

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Dear Stoner: I hate being stingy, but should I stop smoking weed with other people with all this coronavirus stuff going on?
Berto

Dear Berto: If you’re smoking weed with other people several times a day, then it might be time to stop that altogether. Not only does it heighten the likelihood of you catching something icky, but it also raises your chances of not getting shit done during the day — unless you’re a rapper or some brilliant creative type — and maybe even getting fired. Are you a rapper or some brilliant creative type, Berto? If you are, then start smoking out of your own devices and stop sharing mouthpieces with others — not just because of COVID-19, but because of germs and viruses that cause colds, flus and other sicknesses, too.

click to enlarge

Getty Images/RubberBall Productions

Even if you do wipe down pipes and bongs before sharing, germs still linger, according to pipe accessory company Moose Labs. Although Moose Labs isn’t exactly objective, since it sells a personal pipe mouthpiece, contamination is certainly worth thinking about at times like these, especially if you’re prone to catching a paranoid high. Something worth considering even more? The case of herpes that a woman claims she contacted after using a vaporizer from the only licensed cannabis restaurant in California, which supposedly cleans its pieces. Maybe I’ll just keep that dutchie to myself for a while, too.

Send questions to [email protected].